{"id":67711,"date":"2026-03-30T01:11:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T01:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/land-donation-paves-way-for-wild-mustang-facility-in-montezuma-county\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:30:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:30:54","slug":"land-donation-paves-way-for-wild-mustang-facility-in-montezuma-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/land-donation-paves-way-for-wild-mustang-facility-in-montezuma-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Land donation paves way for wild mustang facility in Montezuma County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Laurie
Laurie Newton, left, and Bonnie Anderson of the Colorado chapter of the National Mustang Association stand with a rescued mustang at Anderson\u2019s ranch in Montezuma County. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Newly donated land in Montezuma County is poised to change how local advocates respond to wild horse removals from public lands.<\/p>\n

For the first time, a 10-acre property provides the Colorado chapter of the National Mustang Association with a permanent home to place captured horses while they await adoption.<\/p>\n

The Douglas family donated the Cortez parcel this year. The property sits near the family\u2019s land, has been subdivided, and is now owned by the mustang association. In their honor, once the facility is built and finished, it will be named the Douglas Family Wild Horse Training and Transition Facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving our own property really changes the future for National Mustang Association,\u201d said Bonnie Anderson, association president and board member. \u201cThey are just a family of animal lovers. \u2026 It was at the point we were getting so stressful trying to place these horses, and it\u2019s like: \u2018We have to get our own land.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Laurie Newton, a board member, added: \u201cIt\u2019s a transition facility, not a holding facility \u2013 we\u2019re acclimating them before they go to their next home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The association, founded in 1997, has long focused on fertility control, habitat improvements and advocacy to keep wild horses on the public-land landscape.<\/p>\n

But advocates say as more horses, particularly those not protected under federal law, are removed from areas such as Mesa Verde National Park and Canyons of the Ancients, the group\u2019s efforts have shifted.<\/p>\n

Anderson said the nonprofit is working toward full ownership of the animals, a step made possible with the new facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore it was having volunteers doing fertility control, fencing, water patchments, and now we\u2019re transitioning to taking ownership, so they don\u2019t end up at the sale barn,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

Unclaimed, free-roaming horses are at the center of a sensitive debate nationwide. The issue now includes the Bureau of Land Management\u2019s recently announced summer and fall plans for a roundup of 14,000 horses across the West.<\/p>\n

Locally, the debate focuses on strategies for managing about 200 horses living at Canyons of the Ancients, around a dozen in Weber Canyon and an unknown number in Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde has removed nearly 60 horses over several years in coordination with the association through bait trapping.<\/p>\n

Land managers fear herds, which they categorize as feral because of their once-domesticated status or bloodlines, may overgraze already drought-stressed land. Population growth and inbreeding are also concerns.<\/p>\n

Advocates push for fertility control and low-stress capture methods, while federal agencies often rely on removals. Both sides say resources are stretched thin.<\/p>\n

BLM officials plan to meet with the association next month to further discuss coordination.<\/p>\n

From roundup to rehoming<\/div>\n

For years, the association has taken in captured horses from Mesa Verde or BLM land, typically securing lifelong placement with private landowners, trainers or horse sanctuaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor older horses, we want to send them to sanctuaries because those are harder to train. They\u2019ve spent their whole lives a long time out in the wild,\u201d Anderson said, explaining it is also harder to place pregnant mares, and in many cases, mares are pregnant.<\/p>\n

Anderson herself has rescued numerous wild horses. On the family\u2019s ranch now is Delia, a pregnant mare from a recent roundup who is in her third trimester.<\/p>\n

Anderson said Delia\u2019s current condition is a sharp contrast to before.<\/p>\n

When Delia was captured last August, she was bone-thin. \u201cYou can\u2019t imagine, like every bone,\u201d Newton added, explaining she was taken to a temporary holding site at another ranch.<\/p>\n

Now, as Delia nears her due date, caretakers are carefully monitoring her to limit stress. They have opted to delay transport to a Maryland adopter that specifically takes in blind horses.<\/p>\n

\"Delia,
Delia, a pregnant mustang rescued from a recent roundup, stands in a pen at Bonnie Anderson\u2019s ranch in Montezuma County. \u201cWe\u2019re just waiting for her to foal out,\u201d Anderson said, noting the horse has begun to show signs of comfort and stability, and the foul will also be traveling with its mother. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Plans that lay ahead<\/div>\n

With space for about 35 to 40 animals, the association plans to provide intake and veterinary care, along with gentling and basic training.<\/p>\n

Over time, organizers say the facility could support community outreach programs, education initiatives and youth involvement. The association also hopes to incorporate equine therapy for adults through a program called H.O.O.V.E.S, which uses horses in healing-assisted programs to help veterans process trauma or reduce PTSD symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe horse really does bond with you \u2026 it almost ends up like, \u2018I have a purpose for you,\u2019\u201d Newton said.<\/p>\n

\"Cowboy,
Cowboy, a mustang from Nevada, stands behind a fence. Rounded up by helicopter, he took a little longer to acclimate to people and remains more wary than other horses. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

So far, the association has raised money to build a pipe perimeter around the new land and is seeking additional donations to bring electricity, water and a functional septic system to the property.<\/p>\n

The group estimates it costs about $6,000 to care for and prepare each horse for adoption, a figure organizers say underscores the ongoing need for fundraising and support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always looking for volunteers,\u201d Newton said. No experience is required. In some cases, the work simply involves sitting near a horse pen as a calming human presence to help build trust.<\/p>\n

awatson@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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